For Better or Worse
by Murphy8370
Summary: Arranged Marriages, harem slaves, a little bit of love and whole lot of mystery, what could be better for our good friend Ardeth? Warnings: Sexual content
1. Chapter 1

"Father! It is so good to see you!" Ardeth looked at the older man with pride and unconditional love.

"Ardeth, my son. It is good to see you as well. Your mother will be down in a moment. She has decided to change, again." Ardeth watched his father's eyes roll back and then look at him again. "It has been so long."

"Yes, there are have been…. Concerns that I had to deal with."

"Concerns?"

"Imhotep." Ardeth clarified.

"Ahh." His father said and nodded.

"Anzety! Why didn't you tell me our son has come home!"

"Because Keket, you were upstairs." He said and rolled his eyes again.

Ardeth's mother was a couple inches shorter than both Ardeth and Anzety but made up for it in her width, her waist was small and petite but her hips and the rest of her body was voluptuously made. Keket swept into the room wearing a purple and rich blue gown that rustled as she walked, she moved right to Ardeth and enveloped him in a hug, he immediately hugged her back with equal fervor.

"I have missed you, mother." He said near her ear.

"I have missed you as well, my son."

It was unorthodox for Ardeth, the son of a ruling merchant, to love one of his father's wives, but he loved her the most, mostly because she had birthed him, but also because she and his father shared a love that nothing could get between. It was a tradition for any of the reigning merchants to have many wives, especially if one lived on the outskirts of Sharm el-Sheikh, Anzety had been 21 when he had married his first wife, a young woman named Layla. By Anzety's 30th birthday he had already lost two wives and had had no children, that is, until he had met Keket, his mother. Keket had been a merchant's maiden daughter, she was to be a priestess for Sharm el- Sheikh, within weeks of meeting each other they were to be wed, both deeply in love.

A love story, Ardeth thought.

"Now Ardeth, I would like you to meet Bahiti, daughter of Badru."

A woman swept into the room, she was tall and slim with long, tanned legs that Ardeth could see through the sheer gold fabric of her dress, her face was small and heart shaped with long black glossy hair that fell to the middle of her back. Her eyes were almost black and were hooded by tanned eyelids, make-up accentuated her wide, plump lips and dark eyes. He stared at her with a blank expression, he felt his body come alive with desire.

"Anzety, Keket." The woman said, bowing to his parents.

"Bahiti, may I have a moment with my son?" Anzety asked the woman, ignoring the usual rules about women.

"Of course." She said, surprise covering her face.

Anzety turned to Ardeth and gestured for him to follow, Ardeth did so immediately and turned to his father.

"You wish for me to marry Bahiti?" he asked.

"Yes." His father answered. "I'm not proud to say it, but Ardeth you are getting older and you must go with tradition, we have picked out your first 3 wives. No one says that you need more than that…"

"Should I forgo love for tradition?" he interrupted his father.

"Never." He whispered. "but here tradition is everything, merchant's marry merchant's, Kings marry queens, and marriages are arranged everyday. I will not have my only son be thrown out because he won't follow tradition."

"Father, if you haven't noticed, you broke tradition when you met mother and never came back to your other wives, and nothing has happened to you."

"I married for love, Ardeth. People understand that, but no one will understand if you don't marry at all, they won't forgive you."

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does. No one knows that you are Med-jai, nor do they know that I was once a Med-Jai, that I still am a Med-Jai. Our family would be ruined if they found out. Your sisters would never marry, your younger brother will never gain his rightful place. You will marry, Ardeth. And you will marry Bahiti and the other 3 your mother and I have picked out." His father commanded.

Ardeth thought for many moments then nodded assent. "Fine, does she know?"

"Her father was the one to come forward with the merger."

"When?"

"End of this season."

"Two weeks." He whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

"You will not serve there!" Akhom boomed, mostly at his older sister, Nathifa.

"Shhhhhh, Akhom, you will wake mama." Hissed at him.

"I do not care who I awaken, you will listen to me. I am your brother."

"Soon to be a dead one if mama wakes up."

"Thifa, I will not allow you to become a slave. Not even for me. They are my debts that _I _must pay not _you." _

"My, my, haven't we gotten better with pronouns."

Akhom rolled his eyes. "Nothing will happen to me Akhom, Anzety is a good man, he will not bother me."

"And his guards? Guests? What are his values on that?"

"Do you hold me so low?" she whispered angrily.

"No, I do not wish for to be hurt, Thifa."

"_You_ have to take care of Dakarai and mama, which means that _you_ will need the money, this way _we_ can be rid of our debts _and_ take care of those _we _love."

"No."

"Shut up, Akhom. You know nothing. Have you no honor?"

"How can I have honor when you have stripped it away by paying my debts."

"Honor means family first."

Nathifa looked at her brother, a mixture of pain and hope shining in her eyes, she was so proud of her brother, so happy for what he had become. The debts weren't from gambling, weren't for doing the stupid things that young men did, but for food, shelter, and the little things that mattered. Her brother had more honor that anyone, more than probably her. Along with honorable, her brother was handsome, his features were strong and compassionate but could also be intense when he was concentrating.

"We'll think of something else…" he thought for a moment "I could marry someone richer."

"No." she threw the idea away instantly, he was too young for such things."

"Eighteen is hardly young."

"I'm going to do this."

"Please, Thifa, don't."

His dark unusual green eyes pleaded, his smooth mouth was turned at the corners making his face seem younger. "I have made my decision, and my contract."

"Then break it!"

"I cannot."

"We'll leave Sharm el-Sheikh, leave the trappings of poverty!"

"And go where?!"

"I don't know."

"We're staying."

Her brother suddenly looked resigned, his eyes still begged her not to go, but he didn't argue.

"I love you, Thifa."

"I know, I love you too, Akhom. Now go and check on Dakarai."

He nodded and smiled.

_Two days Later: The meeting. _

Two days later Thifa was ready to give in Akhom's pleading, she convinced herself that these were just the first day jitters she would feel better once she got used to the schedule. Her heart raced as she walked ever closer to Anzety's palatial home, her palms sweated and her mind felt like it was going to burst. She tried slowing her pace, she stopped for a moment to watch the sunrise but it came to slow and she started once again, nervousness made her stumble a few times and stutter as she tried to speak, rehearse.

The sun had almost risen when she arrived, she knocked on the back doors of the large and very sumptuous house, another slave opened the door and led her into the kitchen then in the living room. Thifa was amazed at what she saw, paintings and veils, silk and satin, everything was covered in wealth and yet it appeared to be lived in instead of their for show. Inside of the "living room" were three men and two women, they were dressed in silks and satins as well, rich blues and purples, greens and reds, it made her feel underdressed as she stood under their scrutiny.

"Who is this?" a tall man boomed, laughing at some joke one of the women had told him.

"My name is Nathifa." She said forcefully, a little too forcefully.

"Pure." Said one of the women.

"Yes." She said in a low voice and lowered her head.

"Look me in the eye when you speak." The older man said. "I cannot stand cowardice."

Outrage blasted through Thifa but she said nothing, she met his eyes and kept her features bland.

"Ahhh, so the young beauty has spirit." The man elbowed the other man who was starring at her intently.

"I'm sorry, sir." She said instantly, then cursed herself.

"What is there to be sorry for?" the man with the intense brown-black eyes said.

She was without words. He nodded and smiled, her knees nearly gave out underneath her, she inwardly cursed herself again.

"She is very attractive, father." The younger man said, he was also staring at her, but not in a way that she wanted, his eyes were on her breasts.

"_She _is still in the room, son."

Thifa remained outwardly calm but inside she was raging.

"Why are you here?"

"Do you not remember, Anzety? I hired her as personal assistant."

"Oh yes. Good. Talk to the housekeeper, she will give you your tasks."

"Yes, sir."

"No, dear, we are not known as sir and ma'am here, you will call us by our names. I am Anzety, this is my wife Keket and my two sons Ardeth and Rashidi."

Thifa nodded and followed the maid back out into the hall.

A/N: good second chap? Review.


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